Hello all,
In previous discussions about military rocketplane projects like Isinglass, it's been mentioned that an unannounced military rocketplane mission could easily be mistaken for an ICBM launch by missile warning satellites, triggering a nuclear response by the USSR or PRC.
In the past, missions like X-15 were likely announced ahead of time, giving the USSR a heads-up that they would not be an ICBM launch. However, other launches such as the rocket-boosted D-21 were not announced AFAIK.
Did DoD/NASA ever have a protocol for announcing rocketplane flights to ensure they weren't mistaken for ICBM launches? In the case of the D-21 missions over China, what kept the Soviets and Chinese from believing it was some sort of first strike? Perhaps there's a minimum threshold (thrust, heat signature, etc) that these launches stayed under before they could be mistaken for ICBM's?
In previous discussions about military rocketplane projects like Isinglass, it's been mentioned that an unannounced military rocketplane mission could easily be mistaken for an ICBM launch by missile warning satellites, triggering a nuclear response by the USSR or PRC.
In the past, missions like X-15 were likely announced ahead of time, giving the USSR a heads-up that they would not be an ICBM launch. However, other launches such as the rocket-boosted D-21 were not announced AFAIK.
Did DoD/NASA ever have a protocol for announcing rocketplane flights to ensure they weren't mistaken for ICBM launches? In the case of the D-21 missions over China, what kept the Soviets and Chinese from believing it was some sort of first strike? Perhaps there's a minimum threshold (thrust, heat signature, etc) that these launches stayed under before they could be mistaken for ICBM's?
